Jinnah Restaurant and Hotel, 169 York Road, Haxby

FROM the outside, the Jinnah restaurant in Haxby's York Road (formerly the Haxby Court Hotel) looks more like a family pub than a top-notch eatery. Only the distinctive, diamond-shaped Jinnah sign with its green background and gold star-and-crescent gives the game away.

Once inside, however, all is stylish elegance. Waiters in flowing green robes; high-backed chairs with classical, sweeping lines; rich red walls; large, light windows set off with elegant sculpture. The basic tables don't perhaps match the rest of the decor, but with the help of gentle, piped Eastern music the overall ambience is relaxed and tasteful.

It was 7.30pm on a Saturday when the three of us - myself, my wife Lili, and my long-lost brother Phil, fresh from Australia and still grumbling about the weather - arrived for a meal. We knew straight away we were in for a treat.

When I rang to book, I'd been asked whether we wanted smoking or non-smoking. I was glad we'd specified the latter, since the restaurant's smoking section, separated from the main dining area, was a little fuggy. No second-hand smoke reached us, however, and we settled down in the light of a large bay window to ponder the menu over drinks, popadums and pickles.

The Jinnah sets out its menu in easy-to-understand sections - medium to spicy house specialities; traditional Asian specialities; Jinnah's vegetarian selection; seafood dishes and so on.

The size of the menu was a little daunting, but with the help of the useful descriptions, we had soon made our choices.

For starters, we decided to share the Jinnah's Sizzling Mix, a selection of appetisers. It weighs in at £3.25 per person, but we decided a portion for two would be enough to share between three, and so it proved.

Our eyes then roved hungrily over the rest of the menu, before mine came to rest on the Multani Chicken (£7.95), a dish cooked in a "lightly spiced sauce with a variety of fresh herbs and spices, fresh tomatoes and plain yoghurt." Phil was irresistibly drawn to the Lamb Nawabi Khana (£8.95), described as "the most complex of all great curries" and made with "21 ingredients each roasted individually prior to being grained". Lili, meanwhile, opted for the Special Vegetable Bhuna (£6.95). To round off our meal, we chose a Sag Aloo (potato and spinach) side dish to share (£3.25), two plain naan breads (£2.25 each) and three portions of steamed rice (£1.95 each). Then we sat back and waited.

Our sizzling starter was delicious. It included melt-in-the-mouth chicken, tasty lamb chunks and wonderful fried mushrooms, all in a rich, red, lightly-spiced sauce and served on a bed of moist fried onion slices. Our individual plates came with a fresh, crisp side salad and a slice of lemon in a squeezer. A real winner which kick-started our appetites without leaving us full.

Thoughtfully, as he cleared the empty dishes away, our waiter asked if we would like a short rest before the main courses. Yes, please, we said, relaxing over tall glasses of ice-cold Kronenberg.

This gave us the chance to savour our surroundings. The restaurant had been almost empty when we arrived but by 8pm it was filling up quickly. It is obvious that already, the Haxby Jinnah is winning itself a good reputation.

After a short wait, our main courses arrived. Each came in a rich, red sauce, but there the similarities ended.

My Multani Chicken was beautifully tender, the sauce lovely and warm with a delicious yoghurty tang. Lili's vegetable dish - a delicious concoction of mushrooms, aubergine, cauliflower and chick peas which she had asked to be prepared mild - was more piquant, while Phil's Nawabi Khana had a lovely, rounded, spicy kick which left a multitude of flavours lingering on the palate. The sag aloo was excellent, the potato chunks moist and tender, and the naan bread was fine.

We gorged, rested, and gorged again, sampling each other's dishes at random. Each mouthful was a delight. Eventually, replete, we had to give up. Our waiter, considerate to the last, packed the leftovers neatly into a container to be reheated at home next day.

We were far too full for desserts, but I manfully ordered an excellent cup of coffee, which was refilled.

Our meal, including three glasses of Kronenberg and three orange squashes, came to £55. Not cheap, but considering the quality of the food, more than reasonable. It is a long time since I have enjoyed a meal out this much. We will be back.

Jinnah Restaurant and Hotel, 169 York Road, Haxby. Tel 01904 758864/758865.

Food: spice heaven

Service: friendly

Value: reasonable

Ambience: elegant

Disabled facilities: Yes

Steve visited on Saturday May 1, 2004.

Restaurant reviewers aim to be fair and accurate. Any comments on this review should be addressed to Chris Titley, Features Content Editor, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN or e-mail features@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 16:20 Friday, May 07, 2004